Gradual Healing OneShot
by aspire2write
Summary: They would never survive the impact. I could feel my heart clench in fear as my eyes grew wide. What do I do?" Bella is driving home only to be delayed by an accident. She's waiting for the scene to clear. Is it the only accident there will be? One shot.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I was driving home last weekend from college. What you read below is what actually happened to me. It was kinda surreal so I thought I would write it for fanfic. Let me know what you think. Would it be something you would read if I extended it? Please review and let me know.**

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"This can't be happening to me," I muttered as I stared at the unending line of red taillights. It was 5:30 in the afternoon. I had made sure to leave at 5:00pm to specifically avoid this kind of traffic. Something had to be wrong for it to be moving this slowly. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw two fire trucks trying to get through the four lanes of traffic. I said my silent prayer, as I always do when I see emergency vehicles, asking for well being of those involved and protection for those workers at the scene. They made slow progress but eventually disappeared out of sight. It took another thirty minutes to reach the accident.

A fire truck was parked perpendicular to traffic behind the accident blocking the two middle lanes. A second and third fire truck, _Where did that other truck come from?_, were parallel to traffic in front of the accident in the middle lanes. Two ambulances were also parked by the cars. Traffic was flowing at a snail's pace on both sides of the accident. I was in the far left lane. When I was the third vehicle from the accident, my lane of traffic was halted by a firefighter. I could now see past the fire truck. Two small cars, one blue and one red, were in the middle lanes. Upon further inspection I saw that they both broke down, not a scratch on either one. _Thank God no one was hurt._

Two firefighters and two paramedics began to push the red car towards the shoulder. Once the cars were on the shoulder traffic could open back up in those middle lanes. The firefighters had discarded their fire turnouts. I could see the suspenders over their Seattle Fire Department Shirts with their names on the back: Cheney and Crowley. What caught my eye however were the two paramedics. One was huge. The top of my head would probably barely hit him mid-chest, and I was a respectable 5' 5". His arms were so large my knees would probably buckle if he threw an arm over my shoulders. He had curly brown hair. I should be scared by this man's appearance, but as he smiled, I could see two dimples form. He looked like a big teddy bear.

The second paramedic caused my breath to catch in my throat. The first thing I noticed was his hair. It was a strange vivid bronze color, perfectly tousled to look as if he just rolled out of bed. His eyes were a bright, alluring green. He was so beautiful; there was no other word for it. He reminded me of a Greek god. Then he laughed at something the teddy bear said. His crooked smile reached his eyes and they sparkled. He was mesmerizing. I continued ogling as they pushed the red car towards the shoulder. I watched the muscles of his arms while he pushed the car. They rippled and strained against the sleeve of his shirt. I considered arms a very defining feature of a man, and his were perfect. The car finally came to a stop on the shoulder. One down, one to go.

I glanced in my rearview mirror to check on traffic then looked back at the scene. _Oh no! _My eyes darted back towards the rearview mirror. All I could see was a truck barreling towards me with no signs of stopping. My mind went into overdrive. I knew that he was too close to stop. He would do one of two things. He would either hit me and sandwich my vehicle with the one in front of me, or he would swerve to the shoulder to miss me and pin the four workers between him and the parked car on the shoulder. They would never survive that. I could feel my heart clench in fear as my eyes grew wide. _What do I do?_ My only thought was that those four workers needed to get out of the area so they would not get hurt.

I laid on the horn, hoping to warn them. My body went rigid, waiting for the impact. The teddy bear looked back upon hearing the horn. He looked confused then caught sight of the truck behind me. I watched, scared, as he began pushing the men back towards the shelter of the fire trucks. I watched through the rearview mirror in horror as the truck hit his breaks and swerved to the left attempting to avoid a collision, not realizing he was still headed towards a car. My truck rocked from the wind he created as he passed not two inches from me. I couldn't close my eyes or look away as it hit the little red car. There was a sickening crunch of metal then the sound of metal scraping the concrete highway divider as the vehicles came to a stop twenty feet from the site of impact. The whole ordeal was frightening. I could feel my body shaking in fear. I put the truck in park and turned on the emergency flashers. My legs couldn't hold down the break.

Two paramedics, not the two I remember, jumped out of an ambulance and ran towards the accident. The other two came towards the two vehicles in front of me and my truck. The teddy bear had the occupants of the first vehicle get out. After talking with them, he did the same with the next vehicle. The god-like bronze-haired one came to my truck. He motioned for me to get out. I turned the ignition off and pocketed the keys. I stepped out of the truck.

"Are you okay?" I had to ask. I thought he was going to be hit by that truck. He had to run out of the way. He smiled his crooked smile.

"I think I should be the one asking you that," he chuckled as he said. At that moment my knees decided to give out. I braced myself for the inevitable fall, but it never came. Two strong arms circled my waist. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

"Huh?" I couldn't think straight. Not only had I just seen a horrific accident, but his close proximity was messing with my coherent thought as well. I felt a spark of electricity as he touched me and his scent was intoxicating. "Am I what? Oh, yeah. I'm…I'm okay."

"I want you to come with me. Can you walk for me?" I could see the concern in his gorgeous eyes. I could get lost in those piercing orbs. I just nodded, not trusting my voice. "You know that's a mighty big truck for a tiny little thing like yourself."

"It's my dad's," I replied automatically.

"I see." He uncircled his arms from my waist, and I swayed on my feet. He put one arm back around my waist to support me and began walking me towards an ambulance. "So, what's your name?"

"I'm Bella. Well, Isabella, but I prefer Bella." He smiled that crooked smile again that made me weak in the knees. I could feel myself trying to fall again, but he caught me. This time he picked me up bridal style to carry, not trusting me on my feet. I blushed in embarrassment.

"Bella, I'm Edward. It's nice to meet you. I just wish it were under better circumstances." He sat me down on the stretcher in the back of the ambulance. "You're not looking so great. I want to take your blood pressure. Is that okay?" I nodded. He placed the pressure cuff around my left arm and the end of the stethoscope in the crook of my elbow. As discreetly as I could, I watched him as he stared at his watch to take my pulse. His eyebrows furrowed. That couldn't be a good sign. I waited until he removed the stethoscope from his ears.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" He pulled out a clipboard and began filling out some paperwork.

"Your blood pressure is low, a little too low."

"What is it?"

"It's 84 over 52. How are you feeling?" I hated that question. I heard it too often.

"I'm fine." Edward gave me a look telling me he didn't believe me. "No really. I'm okay. I've been sick for the past few months. What I'm feeling is nothing new."

"Months?" I bit my bottom lip and nodded. I wanted to crawl into a hole. I was so tired of telling people about my ailment. "What has been wrong?" My answer infuriated me every time.

"I don't know. Five doctors later and no one can tell me. I'll be fine. I promise."

"Are you cold?" That question threw me off. I looked down and noticed I was still trembling, but who wouldn't be? First, I was in shorts and a light shirt, my driving clothes. I wanted to be comfortable for the three-hour ride. Second, I was now sitting outside in Seattle in January. Of course it was cold. I nodded. He pulled himself into the back of the ambulance by me and opened a cabinet. He pulled out a blanket and placed it around my shoulders.

"Thank you." He smiled at me and went back to writing. I sat watching him for a few minutes.

"Okay Bella. I want you to tell me how you're really feeling without editing. I don't care if you're feeling something that you think is caused by something else. I need to hear it all. Can you do that for me?" I guess he could see the reluctance on my face because he continued to plead his case. "Please. I want to make sure you are okay to drive, and I need to know everything to do that. I don't want to get a call twenty minutes after I release you about a wreak involving an adorable brunette in an F-150." I was prepared to argue until he made his last point. I couldn't do that to him. It would only make his job harder. I slowly nodded, giving in.

"Okay. Nausea, headache, fatigue, weakness," at this he smirked in understanding. "A little bit dizzy, cold, but that's getting better." He smiled. "Easy to bruise, lower left abdominal pain, trouble focusing, memory retention-"

"What exactly do you mean by that?" He was still writing.

"I've been having trouble retaining things I try to memorize." He nodded with his head down. "Trouble waking in the mornings. I think that's about it."

"That's quite a list." I grimaced. "Have you eaten today?"

"No." He looked up at me, and I could see the disapproval on his face.

"Bella, you should have had at least two meals today. Why haven't you eaten?"

"I went to dinner last night for a friend's birthday. The food didn't like me. I've been up sick since seven this morning and can't keep anything down. Therefore, no food." He reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out a tootsie pop, and handed it to me. "I'm not five. A sucker is not going to distract me." I would not be patronized.

"Please take it. I want to get your blood sugar up." I blushed and took the sucker with a thank you as he silently chuckled. _That damn blush!_ He smirked again and took my blood pressure. "We're going to get you started on an IV. I want to get some nutrients in you. That should get rid of some of these symptoms. Now, I'm only an EMT. My partner is a paramedic." I looked at him confusion. "There's a test to take to become a paramedic. They're two different jobs." I made an 'o' with my mouth in understanding. " Are you currently taking any medicine?"

"Yes."

"What are you taking?" I cringed at the question.

"I don't know. There's too many of them. They're in the passenger seat." I dug the keys out of my pocket and handed them over.

" I'm going to get the medicine then go get my partner. I'll be right back."

He walked away before I could talk. An IV? I did not do well with needles, never have. They sometimes make me pass out. It also hadn't been that long since the last time I got stuck. Just last week, only five days ago, I had five vials of blood drawn. That made me pass out. No matter how childish it was, I was also scared because no one was here with me. I've never dealt with needles without my parents or Alice, my best friend, around. I could feel the blood drain from my face just thinking about it. I was going to freak out and freak out in front of the hot EMT as well. Just great. I was brought back to reality by my head being pushed between my knees that were propped on the bumper.

"Bella?" I could faintly hear Edward calling me. I began to breathe again, not realizing I had been holding my breath. His voice became louder. "Bella, can you hear me? Answer me." I nodded.

"Yes." I slowly sat back up and swayed a bit. Edward and the teddy bear reached out to steady me. "I'm so sorry. I just don't do well with needles."

"I can see that. Have you passed out before?"

"Oh yes. Plenty."

"Alright. Let's lay you back on the stretcher." I groaned. "What is it? Is something hurting?"

"Just my pride. I hate stretchers. We unfortunately have frequent meetings." The teddy bear boomed in laughter. It made me smile.

"Bella, is it?" the teddy bear asked. "I like your sarcasm. We don't hear it often in our line of work. I'm Emmett by the way." He held out his hand. It was awkward to shake while lying down. "So you're well aquatinted with being sick?" He pulled himself into the ambulance and sat down. I could hear Edward sitting at the head of the stretcher pulling supplies from drawers.

"No. I'm just accident prone or a danger magnet, whichever you want to call it." He grabbed the clipboard Edward had been writing on. I tried to pull the blanket down my legs some more but couldn't while lying down. Edward noticed and shook the blanket out letting it fall over my legs. I smiled in thanks and received that crooked grin. All I could think was, _Thank God I'm already lying down._ Emmett began taking my blood pressure.

"Bella, this is a lot of medicine. I've got ten prescriptions. Is that all of them?"

"Ten! That's a lot. What are they all for?" Emmett asked.

"They're all to treat different symptoms. Since the doctors don't know what is wrong they can't give me just one pill." I could hear my annoyance creep into my voice and apparently so could Emmett.

"So, tell me how much you love the Seahawks." He was trying to distract me I could tell.

"I don't." He stopped reading and looked at me incredulously.

"You must not be from around here." I got this reaction a lot.

"I'm from around her. I just don't like the Seahawks, or the SuperSonics, or the Thunderbirds." I giggled when I saw his eyes almost bug out of his head.

"That's blasphemy you know." Edward handed him the supplies, and Emmett began opening the packages. "You have to cheer for your home team."

"I like the Mariners. I just can't watch the other sports. It's either too tense, or so physical; I'm scared someone's going to get hurt. I end up on edge and cringing throughout the whole thing. Therefore, I don't watch it anymore." I could feel him wipe my arm with an alcohol swab after taking my blood pressure. My anxiety rose. I took deeper breaths.

"You are only the second person I've met to hear say something like that. I thought Eddie boy here was the only freak in Washington state."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Eddie?" I could see the frustration on his face. I could understand why. He didn't strike me as an Eddie.

"At least one more." He tied the tourniquet around my upper arm and looked for a vein. He looked back to my face. "Okay Bella. Do you want me to count or just stick?"

"Can we just not do this?" My voice was shaky and breath coming in short gasps now.

"I understand you don't like this Bella," Edward said above me. "We really need to do this, okay? If we can get everything under control here, we won't have to take you to the hospital. If you go there, it's going to be worse than this." His smile was apologetic. "We won't hurt you. We'll take care of you." And I believed him. I felt safe with him. I gave a curt nod. "Do you want him to count?" I shook my head once and squeezed my eyes shut. "Here, give me your hand." I slowly lifted my free hand from clutching my shorts. He held my hand while rubbing circles on the back. It was very soothing. I felt the fingers of his other hand softly caressed my furrowed brows. I felt the prick of the needle. "Breath for me Bella." I released a breath I didn't even realize I was holding it. I took slow deep breaths and could feel myself relax under Edward's touch.

"Okay. All done," Emmett said. I slowly opened my eyes to see Edward peering down at me. "So, how are you feeling?" I looked over at Emmett.

"Actually I barely felt it. That's the least it's ever hurt. Thank you." He smiled with pride, and I couldn't help but return it.

"Cause I'm the best." He had a smug smile on his face. "Now I just want you to lay here, and let that do its job. Are you still feeling nauseous?" I blushed and nodded. He pulled a vile out of a drawer and filled a syringe. He put it into the IV. "That should take effect in about ten minutes. Now I'm going to head back over to the cars and see if they need my help. I want you to rest. A police office will come over to take your statement since you witnessed the accident. Edward, can you stay here and keep an eye on her?" He nodded.

"Emmett?" I stopped him. He looked back waiting for my question. "Is everybody okay? Is anyone hurt? The person is the car, are they okay?"

"Everyone's in stable condition. The worst person is the driver of the truck, and he's just got bumps and bruises."

"What about you guys," I looked between him and Edward, "and those two firefighters that were pushing the car? I was so scared he was going to hit you." He patted my leg.

"We're okay, Bella. I promise. No one even has a scratch on them." I visibly relaxed knowing that. I couldn't get the image out of my head of them being pinned between the truck and car. "Thank you." I looked at him in confusion. "Thank you for honking. We wouldn't have known without your warning. You saved us." I blushed at the compliment. I hated attention. He laughed when cheeks reddened. "Relax now." I laid my head back down.

"Truly Bella, you saved us," Edward said. He was now throwing the empty packages away. "I don't know how I can repay you." I averted my eyes.

"Seeing you guys alive and okay is thanks enough."

I remained quiet after that. The silence was a comfortable, companionable silence. There was no need to speak. I ate on my tootsie pop as I listened to Edward shuffle around behind me. I wish I had met him under different circumstances. Maybe I could have convinced myself to take a chance. Now he wouldn't want me. I was a weak, scared, childish whiner. Who would ever find that attractive? _Who am I kidding?_ I never stood a chance. He's an intelligent, driven, charming, handsome man. I was plain Jane, Bella. Nothing spectacular about me. He reached down and took my blood pressure again. What was that the fourth time? I didn't care.

"Can I sit up now?" I asked Edward. My nausea was subsiding, the first time in weeks, my headache was gone, and I wasn't feeling shaky.

"Sure," he answered as he moved to sit on the side of the stretcher in front of me. He leaned in to support my back as I pushed myself up. His body and face was so close to mine. I glanced down at his lips mere inches from mine. All I had to do was lean forward a bit and those luscious, kissable lips would be on mine. _I can't kiss him. He's way out of your league, and you would never see him after today._ I cleared my throat and looked to the side.

"Thanks." He leaned back, his hand falling to his side. The warmth of his hand lingered on my back. "So, are you planning on taking the test?" I grasped at the first thing I could think of. He looked at me confused. "You know, the test to become a paramedic. Are you going to take it?"

"Oh. I am. I don't know when though. A team consists of a paramedic and EMT. I like being partners with my brother; I won't take it until we're sick of each other."

"Excuse me," one of the firefighters that I had seen pushing the red car interrupted us. "Miss Swan, right?"

"Bella," I said as I extended my hand to shake his.

"Bella, I'm Ben. I just wanted to come by and thank you for honking. We wouldn't have seen him without your warning."

"Oh, er, um…you're welcome."

"I don't know how to thank you. I can never repay you." I blushed not liking the attention.

"No thanks necessary."

"I have to get back now." He leaned forward and pulled me into a hug. Normally I would cringe from the touch of an unfamiliar person, especially a man. I could tell though he was just trying to express his thanks. "Bye." He hurried away.

"I told you we were thankful."

"I see that. Did you say brother?" I smiled. I could see it now that I thought about it. They bickered or rather Emmett bickered, but I could see it. "I guess I can see that. I mean you don't look alike. It's how you act. He's your older brother isn't he?" Edward nodded.

"Only by six months but he never lets me forget it."

"Six months?" I know I didn't hit my head. It takes nine months.

"We're both adopted. He's six months older than me, and he was adopted six months before me. He's very proud that he beats me in those areas. I don't mind. It's just Emmett." I could see that he cared about him. I was friends with a group of adopted kids when I lived in Phoenix. They never were this close.

"And you wouldn't have him any other way." Edward smiled and shook his head in agreement. He took my blood pressure again. I brought the lollipop up to my mouth but stilled when his long fingers wrapped around my wrist and that electrical shock ran through my body again. I looked at his face trying to decipher if he had felt it too.

"I'm just going to take your pulse this way." _Damn._ I dropped my eyes hoping to hide the disappointment that I knew would be written on my face. My friends always called me an open book. I began chewing on the tootsie pop. He finished and began writing on that clipboard again. "Shouldn't you be licking not chewing?" I began choking on the air I was breathing. _Get a hold of yourself, Bella. He didn't mean what you're thinking. Control yourself!_ I was berating myself while taking deep breaths. "Are you okay?" He was rubbing circles on my back. I just nodded not trusting my voice. "So, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?" He smiled at me wickedly. There was no way to hide the crimson on my cheeks.

"I wouldn't know. I've never had the patience to wait. You?"

"I don't have the patience either." Just then Emmett returned with a police officer.

"Bella," he began, "this is Officer Mike Newton. He's going to take your statement. While he's doing that I'm going to take that IV out." He pulled into the ambulance and sat next me pulling on gloves.

"Okay ma'am," Officer Newton began. "Can I get your full name?"

"Isabella Marie Swan," I said with eyes shut and head turned trying to ignore Emmett's work. I felt someone enclose my hand in their own. I knew it was Edward from the electricity I felt. It immediately calmed me.

"Isabella. Did you know that means 'Beautiful' in Italian?" How lame. I don't know how many times I had heard that. I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see it and decided to not respond. "It's very fitting." I heard Emmett clear his throat and tried to keep from chuckling but couldn't stop the small smile pulling at his lips. "Um, Miss Swan. Can I get a number you can be reached at if we need to contact you later."

"This doesn't leave the report right?" I wanted to make sure he understood I was not interested. Officer Newton that is. I head Emmett try to cover up a laugh with a cough. The shaking caused his hand that was on the needle to push a bit further into my arm. I held my breath and furrowed my brows in an attempt to not winch at the sting. "360-555-2765."

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be from the Forks area would you?" Emmett said. He patted my arm to let me know he was finished. I slowly opened my eyes.

"Um…yeah. I am." It was odd for someone to know that.

"Our parents moved up there a couple of years ago. I recognized the area code."

"Miss Swan," Officer Newton tried to bring the attention back to himself. "Can you tell me what happened?"

I retold the story from the time I first saw the fire trucks. I told him of the truck that seemed to not notice, of the fear I felt when I thought the emergency works were going to get hurt, how I honked to warn them, and of the actual impact. I started hyperventilating remembering the fear I felt when the workers hadn't looked back yet. I felt soothing circles being rubbed on the back of my hand. I looked down only to realize that I had never released Edward's hand. I blushed and looked at him hoping he would see my apology as I let go of my hand. I was questioned for anther ten minutes.

"Well, I think that's all I need. I'm going to leave my card for you. Feel free to call if you need something, even to talk. Sometimes it helps. My cell is on the back." Could this guy not take a hint?

"You know what? I lose things easily so keep your card, and if I need anything I can just call the station." Emmett got out of the ambulance and walked away. Edward went to the cab of the vehicle where I could hear him laughing. _I can't believe they just left me along with this…this…ugh!_ Officer Newton's face fell. "Are you sure? I don't mind."

"I'm sure. Thanks though. Bye." I wanted to make sure he understood.

"Have a good day Bella. I hope to see you around." He walked away towards the accident. Edward and Emmett both returned still snickering.

"I can't believe you both left me here alone with that…that…_him!_" I tried to give both of them an evil look which only caused Emmett to boom in laughter and Edward tried hard to stop but his smile gave him away.

"Oh Bella," Emmett said once he had calmed a bit. "Evil doesn't work for you. You're face is too adorable. Now try to stand up. Let's see if we can get you back on the road." I slid towards the end of the stretcher and hung my feet off the end. I slid to the ground expecting to wobble, but I didn't. I felt steady. I took a few steps to test myself and felt okay, then disappointment. My time with the brothers was coming to an end, and I had been enjoying their company, especially one in particular. "How does it feel?"

"Good. I'm steady. I'm also not nauseous which is the first time in weeks." I smiled at that.

"Glad to hear. I just have a few papers I need you to sign and you can be off." He pulled out that clipboard again while Edward motioned me over so he could take my blood pressure one last time.

"111 over 73. Much better." He smiled as he removed the pressure cuff. "Now I know that you have been sick for a while, but after yesterday I strongly suggest you go see your doctor again."

"I appreciate the concern Edward, but if they haven't been able to find out what's wrong yet. Last night isn't going to make a difference."

"Just sign here," Emmett pointed out the signature line. He handed me a bag. "Here are you medicines back."

"Are you sure you feel up to driving?" Edward asked. I handed the clipboard back to Emmett. He began packing things up in the back of the ambulance.

"I'm sure. It's not that long of a drive."

"I want you to promise to pull over if you start feeling weak or lightheaded. I really don't want to respond to another car accident involving you."

"I promise." I placed my hand on his arm hoping to offer reassurance. In reality, I wanted to touch him and feel that electricity one last time. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped.

"Have a safe trip then, and I hope the doctors are able to give you some answers soon." I dropped my head and said thanks as I dropped my hand.

"It was a pleasure to meet you both. I hope you have a boring rest of the day."

"Thank you, and to you as well," Emmett said as he closed the door to the ambulance. "Eddie boy, we've been released. Let's drop the rig off at the station then we're off duty." He grimaced at the nickname which made me giggle.

"Goodbye Edward."

"Goodbye Bella." I reluctantly turned and made my way back to my dad's truck. If only it were different circumstances. Wrong time, wrong place. I pulled myself into the truck, buckled in, and began my three-hour drive waving at Emmett and Edward as I passed them.


	2. Continuation of OneShot

Howdy All! This is a short note to let you know I have decided to extend this one-shot into a full story. I hope you choose to learn more about these character's lives. Please visit my author page to read more.

Gradual Healing:

Bella is a working Master's student with deteriorating health and a traumatic, haunting past. Worried she will never be good enough to be loved, she closes herself off from all but her closest friends. Will she take a chance to step out of her shell? Can she survive long enough to deal with her past experiences and allow herself to feel again?


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